An international treaty adopted by some countries, including the United States, that provides an expedited method to return a child wrongfully taken from one member country to another. The primary intention of the Convention is to preserve whatever status quo child custody arrangement existed immediately before an alleged wrongful removal or retention, thereby deterring a parent from crossing international boundaries in search of a more sympathetic court. The Convention applies only to children under the age of 16. This Hague Convention (treaty) determines only in which country custody litigation wi11 take place. Custody is not determined in Hague Convention cases.
« Back to Glossary IndexHague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
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